Animated doll

ABSTRACT

An animated toy in the form of a baby doll which has a body portion, and an arm portion and head portion both pivotally mounted to the body portion. The head is pivotable from a forwardly facing position to a position facing the side of the doll to which the pivotal arm is connected. The arm is pivotable from a lower position to a raised thumb sucking position alongside of the doll, with a thumb in registry with a mouth formed on the doll&#39;&#39;s head. Both the arm and the head are connected to a pendulous member pivotally mounted on the inside of the doll&#39;&#39;s body portion to simultaneously move the arm and head to the thumb sucking position relative to the body portion in response to moving the body portion from an erect position to a prone position which causes pivotal movement of the pendulous member relative to the body portion.

United States Patent [191 Terzian 1 ANIMATED DOLL [75] Inventor: RoubenT. Terzian, Chicago, 111.

[73] Assignee: Marvin Glass & Associates,

Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Jan. 29, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 327,326

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,586,444 5/1926 Griewank46/119 Primary ExaminerHugh R. Chamblee Assistant Examiner-J. Q. LeverAttorney, Agent, or FirmCoffee & Sweeney ABSTRACT An animated toy in theform of a baby doll which has a body portion, and an arm portion andhead portion both pivotally mounted to the body portion. The head ispivotable from a forwardly facing position to a position facing the sideof the doll to which the pivotal arm is connected. The arm is pivotablefrom a lower position to a raised thumb sucking position alongside ofthe doll, with a thumb in registry with a mouth formed on the dollshead. Both the arm and the head are connected to a pendulous memberpivotally mounted on the inside of the dolls body portion tosimultaneously move the arm and head to the thumb sucking positionrelative to the body portion in response to moving the body portion froman erect position to a prone position which causes pivotal movement ofthe pendulous member relative to the body portion.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 2,565,603 8/1951 Fraysur 46/120 UX 2,727,33412/1955 Ostrander 46/120 3,419,994 1/1969 Glass et 211.. 46/119 X3,426,476 2/1969 Ayala 46/119 X US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 ANIMATED DOLLBACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to ananimated toy, such as a baby doll or the like, which has relativelymovable parts. 1

Most animated dolls have body or torso portions with legs, arms and/orhead portions pivoted to the body for movement inres'ponse to varioustypes of actuatable devices. In most instances, the appendages of thedolls are provided with relative movement by means of mechanizedapparatus mounted on or inside of the doll, particularly within thedolls body portion. Not only are such mechanized devices relativelyexpensive to manufacture and assemble, but they oftentimes areunreliable, short-lived and difficult to repair. This invention isdirected to providing a new and improved animated toy having relativemovable body parts, which movement is effected by weight means under theinfluence of gravity, in the form of a pendulous member mounted withinthe dolls body portion and operatively connected to the movableappendages of the doll for moving the same in response to movement ofthe pendulous member. I

The principal object, therefore, of the present invention is to providea new and improved animated toy, such as a doll or the like, of thecharacter described.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the doll has a body. ortorso portion on which is mounted a head portion and to which ispivotally mounted at least one arm portion. The head portion ispivotable between a forwardly facing position and a position facing tothe side of the doll on which the pivotal arm portion is mounted. Thearm portion, likewise, is pivotable between a lower position alongsideof thedolls body portionto a raised p'osition alongside of the dollshead portion,- with a thumb of the doll in registry with a mouth of thedoll formed on the dolls head portion, in a thumb sucking "position. Aweighted pendulous member is pivotally mounted within the dollsbodyportion and is operatively connected by means which includes gearmembers to the pivotal head and arm portions to move the same totheirthumb sucking positions simultaneously as the doll is moved from anerect position to a prone position, with the doll lying on its back.Movement of the doll from the erect position to the prone positioncauses pivotal movement of the pen dulous membe'r'relative to the dollsbody portion and thereby causes rotation of the gear members which interconnect the pendulous member to the dolls arm and head portions forrotating the same.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an animatedtoy embodying the concepts of the present invention, in the form of ababy doll, in an erect position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the baby doll of FIG. I in a proneposition with the doll lying on its back;

FIG. 3 is a broken away vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale,taken generally through the doll in a side to side direction;

f FIG. 4 is a partial vertical section taken generally along the line4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken generally along the line 55 of FIG.3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings ingreater detail, the animated toy of the present invention is shaped inthe form of a baby doll, generally designated 10, having a body or torsoportion, generally designated 12, a head portion, generally designated14, two leg portions, each generally designated 16, and two armportions, each generally designated 18.

As best seen in FIG. 3, each leg portion 16 has a pivot tween the legsand the body portion. The pivot stub 20 has an enlarged portion 24forming outwardly extending flanges which seat on the inside of thedolls body portion to hold the legs in position.

The head portion 14 of the doll is formed generally by a hollow,generally rigid shell 26 which has simulated eyes 28 (FIG. I), asimulated nose 30, and a recessed mouth 32 (FIGS. 1 and 3). A pivot boss34 (FIG. 3) is press fit or otherwise secured within a neck aperture 36at the base of the head shell 26. The boss 34 has an aperture 38extending vertically therethrough'for receiving and immovably holding arotatable pivot shaft 40 which extends downwardly into the dolls bodyportion 12 and terminates in a cup-type gear member 42 having a circulardownwardly facing series of gear teeth 44. The shaft 40 extends downwardly through a similar boss 46 which is press fit or otherwise securedwithin a neck aperture 48 at the top As best seen in FIGS 3 and 5, astop limit pin 52 formed integrally with the boss 34 extends downwardlyinto an arcuate slot 54 formed in the top surface of the boss 46. Asseen in FIG. 5, the'slot 54 extends approxi-' mately about the shaft 40and limits the rotational or twisting movement of the dolls head from aforis in an erect position to a side facing position as shown in FIGS. 2and 3 when the doll is in a prone position, as described hereinafter.

The dolls right arm 18, as seen in FIG. 3, has an enlarged boss 56 fixedto the inside of the shoulder portion thereof. A rotatable shaft 58 isfixed to the boss 56 and extends through an aperture 60 on the inside ofthe dolls arm. The shaft 58 extends freely through an aperture 61 in aboss 62 fixed to the dolls body portion 12 in the area of the dollsright shoulder. The shaft 58 terminates in a pinion gear 64 fixedthereto for rotation therewith. As with the dolls head portion 26, thearm portion 18 is caused to rotate in response to rotation of the shaft58 through the gear 64. In this instance, the size of the gear 64 issuch that the dolls arm portion 18 is pivotable between a lower positionalongside of the dolls body portion, as seen in FIG. 1 when the doll isin its erect position, and a raised position alongside of stub 20extending through apertures 22 at the trunk of. the dolls body portion18 to define a pivot joint ber of the dolls body portion 12. The shaft40 extends wardly facing position as shown in FIG. 1 when the doll thedolls head portion 26 when the doll is in its prone position shown inFIG. 2.

By means described below, the dolls head portion 26 and arm portion 18are moved simultaneously to the position shown in FIG. 3 where a thumbportion 66 on the right hand portion 68 of the doll is in registry withthe mouth recess 32 in a thumb sucking position as shown in FIGS. 2 and3.

Relative movement of the dolls appendages (i.e., head portion 26 andright arm portion 18) relative to the dolls body portion 12 is effectedby weight means under the influence of gravity, in the form of apendulous member, generally designated 70 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Moreparticularly, the pendulous member 70 is in the form of a lever pivotedintermediate its ends on a shaft 72 journalled in a brace or bracketportion 74 formed integral with and protruding downwardly from theshoulder boss 62 within the body portion 12 of the doll. The pendulousmember has a weighted mass 76 on one end thereof (the lower end when thedoll is in an erect position). A gear segment 78 having an arcuate gearrack 80 is formed on the opposite end of the pendulous member. Thearcuate gear rack 80 is in mesh with the arm gear 64 which, in turn, isin mesh with the head cup gear 42. Thus, pivotal movement of the dollshead portion 26 and right arm portion 18, as described above, iseffected by pivotal movement of the pendulous member 70 about its pivotaxis defined by shaft 72 under the influence of gravity as the dollsbody positions are shifted, particularly between the erect positionshown in FIG. 1 and the prone position shown in FIG. 2.

Referring specifically to FIG. 4 (which is a section through the dollshown in FIG. 3 in its prone position), the pendulous member 70 and therelative gears are shown after having been moved to effect raising ofthe dolls right arm 18 and pivoting the dolls head 26 to the side facingposition. More particularly, the weighted mass 76 of the pendulousmember has been pivoted about shaft 72 in the direction of arrow A.Consequently, the arcuate gear rack 80 has been pivoted in the directionof arrow B which, in turn, rotates the arm gear 64 in the direction ofarrow C to thereby pivot the arm shaft 58 and, thus, the right arm 18.Rotation of the arm gear 64 in the direction of arrow C, in turn, causesrotation of the gear 42 for the dolls head 26 in the direction of arrowD to effect pivoting of the dolls head from the forwardly facingposition to the side facing position. When the doll is moved back to itserect position, the pendulous mass 76 will move under gravity oppositethe direction of arrow A to cause rotation of the gear rack 80, arm gear64, and head gear 42 opposite the directions described above to returnthe dolls head 26 back to the forwardly facing position and return thedolls right arm 18 back to its lower position alongside of the dollsbody portion 12.

Of course, the dolls left arm or other appendages similarly can beoperatively associated with the pendulous member as described above.FIGS. 1 and 2 show that the doll may be fitted with a gown 82, includinga hood portion 84 and a necktie portion 86, or other appropriategarments for aesthetic purposes.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a weight 81 is disposed on the front of thepivot boss 34 for the dolls head 26. This weight facilitates pivotingthe dolls head to the position of FIG. 3 by adding additional weightmeans which operates under the influence of gravity to pivot the dollshead.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in theart.

I claim:

1. An animated doll, comprisingi a torso portion;

a head rotatably mounted on top of said torso portion and including amouth area, said head being movable relative to the torso portion in atwisting fashion between a front facing position and a side facingposition;

an arm mounted on the side of said torso portion generally in a shoulderarea thereof, said arm having a hand at the end thereof and beingmovable about a generally side-to-side axis relative to the torsoportion between a lowered position and a raised position wherein saidhand is generally at said mouth area when said head is in its sidefacing position; and

drive means including a gravity influenced pivotally mounted pendulousmember operatively associated with said head and said movable arm forsimultaneously moving the head from its front facing position to itsside facing position while at the same time moving said movable arm fromits lowered position to its raised position in response to movement ofsaid pendulous member whenever said doll is moved from a generallyvertically disposed erect position to a generally horizontally disposedprone position.

2. The animated doll of claim 1 wherein said doll hand has an inwardlyextending thumb disposed for registry with said mouth area when saidhead is in its side facing position and said arm is in its raisedposition.

3. The toy of claim 1 wherein said pendulous member has a gear portionmovable therewith and in mesh with a gear member operatively associatedwith said head

1. An animated doll, comprising: a torso portion; a head rotatablymounted on top of said torso portion and including a mouth area, saidhead being movable relaTive to the torso portion in a twisting fashionbetween a front facing position and a side facing position; an armmounted on the side of said torso portion generally in a shoulder areathereof, said arm having a hand at the end thereof and being movableabout a generally side-to-side axis relative to the torso portionbetween a lowered position and a raised position wherein said hand isgenerally at said mouth area when said head is in its side facingposition; and drive means including a gravity influenced pivotallymounted pendulous member operatively associated with said head and saidmovable arm for simultaneously moving the head from its front facingposition to its side facing position while at the same time moving saidmovable arm from its lowered position to its raised position in responseto movement of said pendulous member whenever said doll is moved from agenerally vertically disposed erect position to a generally horizontallydisposed prone position.
 2. The animated doll of claim 1 wherein saiddoll hand has an inwardly extending thumb disposed for registry withsaid mouth area when said head is in its side facing position and saidarm is in its raised position.
 3. The toy of claim 1 wherein saidpendulous member has a gear portion movable therewith and in mesh with agear member operatively associated with said head and said movable arm.